On Sunday, NASCAR will be racing at Bristol for the Food City 500! Bristol is “The World’s Fastest Half-Mile” and it’s been described as flying a jet fighter in a gymnasium. High tire-wear as we seen last spring at Bristol might just be back! It was definitely an issue in practice but tomorrow will be warmer (about 15 F warmer), and the cold weather is theorized by many to be a cause of what we are seeing happen to the tires. I think the best game plan is ultimately just expecting it to be a tire management race.

On Saturday, practice was held for Bristol. Teams had 25 minutes, and keep in mind teams have different agendas. Make sure you check out our Bristol Practice Notes, Bristol Practice Speeds and 10-Lap Averages, Bristol Practice Group Speed Rankings and Bristol 10,15,20,25 and 30 Lap Average Speed Cheat Sheet.

Here’s Bristol Qualifying Results/ Starting Lineup. Take note, starting near the front has been important at Bristol and 7 of the last 8 races have been won from a top five starting position.

Bristol Full Field Fantasy rankings

1) Kyle Larson
Start 3rd / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – High
Bristol Outlook – Kyle Larson’s a super-elite performer at Bristol and in the Food City 500, the road to victory lane likely goes thru him. Larson smoked the field last fall in dominant fashion and there’s no debating his Bristol prowess. At Bristol, Larson’s a 2-time winner and since 2017 minus spring 2019, Larson has a 3.9 average finish. In the Next Gen over the last four races, Larson has the best average finish (3.3), the 2nd best Speed Ranking, the 3rd best Driver Rating and he’s averaged leading 133.8 laps per race. Last fall, Larson was the class of the field and put on a display of domination en route to victory lane. In the race, Larson won Stage #1, won Stage #2, had a perfect Total Speed Ranking, came close to having a perfect Driver Rating, had a 1.1 average running position and led 462 laps. Last spring in the high tire-wear affair, Larson didn’t have an incident free race, but he still managed to finish 5th and have the 5th best Total Speed Ranking. In 2023, Larson started way back in 36th but that wasn’t a problem, and he raced his way to a 2nd. Over the two races prior to that, Larson had results of 5th (2022) and 1st (2021). In practice, Kyle Larson was a stopwatch standout and had the best 10,15,20,25 and 30-lap average.
DraftKings $11,000/ FanDuel $13,500

Get the ifantasyrace advantage to read all of our full exclusive content! Member prices are just $2 a race! 

2) Denny Hamlin
Start / Projected Finish Range / Dominator Potential – 
Bristol Outlook – Denny Hamlin is a super-elite performer at Bristol and in the Food City 500, I think he has a great chance to notch his 3rd straight win of the 2025 season. This race is looking like a tire management race, and I would argue he’s the premiere driver at that discipline. At Bristol, Hamlin’s a 4-time winner and included in that tally is him winning 2 of the last 3 races. In the Next Gen over the combined races, Hamlin has the 2nd best average finish (3.75), the 2nd best Driver Rating and the 3rd best Next Gen Speed Ranking. Last fall, Hamlin had a strong showing and was a consistent front runner. In the race, Hamlin finished 4th, had a 4.6 average running position, had the 4th best Total Speed Ranking and earned the 3rd best Driver Rating. Last spring, Hamlin put on a masterclass in tire management and dominated late, racing his way to victory lane. In the race, Hamlin finished 7th in Stage #2, had a 5.0 average running position, earned the best driver rating and led the most laps (163). In terms of speed stats, Hamlin ranked 3rd for Total Speed Rankings and then 4th for Speed Late In A Run. In 2023, Hamlin was impressive and raced his way to victory lane. In the race, Hamlin started 2nd, was caught speeding on pit road during Stage #1 around lap 70 while running in 2nd, rallied to finish 4th in Stage #2, led 142 laps, earned the 2nd best Driver Rating and then of course took home the trophy. In 2022, Hamlin was top five good but had multiple problems and finished 9th. In Practice Group B, Hamlin ranked among the best and had the 2nd best 20-lap average.
DraftKings $11,100/ FanDuel $14,000

Further Recommended Reading = Bristol Projected Finish Ranges, DraftKings Bristol Scoring Projections, FanDuel Bristol Scoring Projections, Bristol Quick Rankings

3) Christopher Bell
Start 7th / Projected Finish Range 1-6 / Dominator Potential – Medium-High
Bristol Outlook – Christopher Bell is one of the premiere performers at Bristol and there’s no doubt he’s poised to be a top contender. Bell’s yet to visit victory lane but in the Next Gen, Bell has the best Next Gen Speed Ranking, the best Driver Rating, the best Average Running Position (4.4) he’s averaged leading 89.8 laps per race and his average finish is a not too shabby 5.5. Last fall, Bell had a great performance. In the race, Bell finished 5th, had a 4.6 average running position, earned the 2nd best Driver Rating and had the 2nd best Total Speed Ranking. Last spring, Bell finished 10th but I’ll note that underrates him. In the race, Bell finished 8th in Stage #1, finished 5th in Stage #2, had the 2nd best average running position (5.7) and led 29 laps. Late in the race, Bell had a tire issue. On lap 420 he was in 2nd but then on lap 440 he had fallen back to 10th. In terms of Total Speed Rankings, Bell ranked 6th. In 2023, Bell won the two opening Stages, led the most laps (187), earned the best driver rating, had the best average running position (2.7) and then finished 3rd overall. In terms of speed analytics, Bell ranked #1 for Total Speed Rankings and then 3rd for Speed Late In A Run. In 2022, Bell led 143 laps, had the best Total Speed Ranking and then finished 4th.
DraftKings $10,200/ FanDuel $13,000